MAJA's EXODUS '08!?!??!?

For starters, I gotta say this: If you want something bad enough, you'll do what you need to in order to make it happen. I mean, I did it with the Amalgam Project. I suited up, jumped into my Eva unit, and said, "Screw it." And then I started making moves, hitting up who I needed to, shelling out cash where I needed to... doing what I could to make the Amalgam come to life. And boy, is it alive and kicking better than I could have ever imagined.

I ended up in the Phoenix NEWTIMES biggest edition of the year; I have been invited to cons that have taken a liking to my music; I have a fan-base that's growing larger and larger every day; I have even been on TV in JAPAN! But I'm not done yet. In fact, I haven't even started yet lol...I have all these ideas in my head that I need to get out and into a stereo near you. The more albums I sell, the more stuff I can get done, so I want to thank EVERYONE who has purchased or downloaded my album. You guys and gals are off the chain!

People have started to question my motives with this album, asking what I truly expect to happen with my music. "Is it nerdcore hip-hop, otaku hip-hop, new school, underground, J-hop?" lol... I used to get confused myself when trying to answer the question, but it's getting easier now. The answer: It's underground, new school hip-hop first and foremost. My goal with this album was to take you from sub-genre to sub-genre through each track. I think I did a good job with it, but hey, I'm the one who made it, so I'm not going to have anything negative to say.

I need to keep studying Japanese, too. My mind is totally confused now. I don't get ideas in English anymore. I'll start thinking of things to say in JAPANESE and Spanish and I'll get all giddy cuz I don't know where the hell it comes from. I mean, if I was studying Japanese right now, I'd be able to think of even MORE stuff to rap lol... Anyone else bi or tri-lingual? I feel like I have 3 vaults of vocab to pull from whenever I want. I wonder if other writers, singers, etc feel the same way with their craft.

I want to take a trip to Japan for 90 days. I think to myself, "Do you know how much better your Japanese would become if you just landed over there like a space alien and was fully immersed in their culture?!?!?" I know of people who have gone to Japan for months and gotten homesick. heh, I say. I don't know what homesick is.

Have you ever met it? This "homesickness"? The nomad in me is totally ignorant of such an emotion. I'd be a total bookworm in Japan... no, wait.. I lie. I'd be the loudest dude in the country! haha... I would be talking to EVERYONE! And I'd be somewhere rapping because Japan wouldn't know what to do with me. MMMMMMM...and the SAKE... I'd be drinking sake too... and soaking up all the culture that I could. But how could I afford such an adventure...

It's easy: MOOCHING! haha... Well., not really. I'd need to save up a lot. Maybe rent the condo out? I'd sell it, but the market's HORRID right now and I'd be a fool to put it on the market again. Get someone to sign a 12-month lease... hmmm... Now we're getting somewhere. Then I'd get a 3rd job to accumulate funds faster? I'm literally thinking through this right now lol... Is this boring for you? haha... I'll stop...I'll just tell you what I'd call it: MAJA's Exodus '08. I picked that name because it reminds me of Utada's Exodus of '04. Sounds lucky to me.

Let's see if it happens lol... I know where I could stay for 90 days, so I wouldn't need a hotel. Now I can't stop thinking about it.

I guess that's all for now.

Ja,

MAJA

New Vid = Awesome

Well, there ya go. I decided to spend some time to make a lil vid with some new tracks on it. I have Adobe Photoshop now too so I made some cool stuff with that. Right now, I'm just sitting here typing. It's getting kinda late, but I am not really ready to go to bed. Today was oddly exhausting. I comment about work more on here, but I am not trying to get fired or anything. Just know that MAJA's MAJA exhausted these days.

Oh yea... D and I beat Halo 3 last night. I'm sorry, but I'm pissed right now at Bungie. So, so piseed. Play Halo 3 to find out why. I don't do spoilers cuz I want to throw up when someone ruins stuff for me. You should have seen me waiting in line to see the last two Lord of the Rings movies... each time I was pissed cuz some dude wanted to blab about the book.... and start talking about the story that I hadn't seen or read about yet.

But yea...I'm to sleep to rant. Let's see what time it is when I make it to bed lol...

Ja,

MAJA

Make your Mondays MAJA!

I'm going to post something really quick this morning to say the following:

1.) I want to be at home right now
2.) Work is about to start in about 5 minutes
3.) I want to go back home and write some songs
4.) I wish I could work from home
5.) It's Monday, meaning that I have 4 more days of work ahead of me

But now, I'm going to make this Monday MAJA... By stating the following:

1.) I have a really good job
2.) I got that new Kanye West blasting through my earphones
3.) Work is going to be over before I know it
4.) I get to prove to myself and my Boss how awesome I am
5.) I have my own album that's selling (^_^)
6.) I have fans
7.) I was in the Phoenix NewTimes less than 2 weeks ago

So yea, make this Monday and every day MAJA. Think of the good stuff in life. But the bad stuff on the backburner... ALL OF IT...

Have a MAJA Monday.

Ja,

Maja

Janglish Speak (Stronger Remix) - Explanation

Yosh!

I decided to translate this track for ya'll:

MO-MOTTO, MOTTO HAYAKU
MO-MOTTO, MOTTO TSUYOKU
MO-MOTTO, MOTTO OOKIKU
NA-RI-TA-I KARA I LEAD YOU
A-ME-RI-KA KARA NIHON E
I BUST THESE FLOWSHOMIE, I DON'T PLAY
BAKUHATSU-TEKINA REPLAY
KONO REMIX, HAYAKU KIITE

も、もっと、もっと 速く
も、もっと、もっと 強く
も、もっと、もっと 大き くなりたいから、
I LEAD YOU アメリカから日本へ、
I BUST THESE FLOWSHOMIE, I DON'T PLAY
爆発的な REPLAY
このREMIX、速く聞いて

TRANSLATION:

"Because I want to be bigger, faster, stronger, I lead you from America to Japan. I bust these flows, homie, I don't play. EXPLOSIVE REPLAY. Hurry up and listen to this REMIX."

Verse I

16 bars I’m writin’ but never bitin’,
My words vanguard so hard I’m like that other cat.
The only rapper you know, boostin’ the Thundercat;
Red mid-shirt like Lionel know where the thunder at.
My grill spills the sentences I inventeded
*Si necesito ayuda I’ll make one up like inventeded.
This you’ve never heard,
*Kore atarashiizii,
*I love to switch it up on you like it’s muzukashiizii.
I’ma pull an Utada, Maja so Japaneezy
But if you get confused you’ll dismiss me as easy breezy.
*Wakaranakereba,
Wakaritai nara,
You can look to me for the answers,
*Maja so tight kara.
I wanna stop but I won’t,
*Cuz I can wreck it so off that chain I was lookin’ but mitsuketa zo.
I’m lookin’ to get these records sold,
Keep on the road, words harsh but never simply though.

* "If I need help [finding a word to rhyme with the last line], I'll make one up like inventeded."
* "This is new." I decided to put a West Coast spin on it. The regular word for "new" is atarashii, but I added "zii" to the end of it, like "sheezy." Not sure how many folks would have caught that, but that's what's up with that line.
* "I love to switch it up on you like it’s difficult." I did the same thing here with the "sheezy."

* "If you don't understand, if you want to understand..."
* "Cuz Maja's so tight."
* "Cuz I can wreck it so off that chain I was lookin’ but then I found it."

Verse II (this one is going to be fun..lol...)

*I play this game like sword play like nadie puede
*Pero si quieres try to match a rapper, "koko ni kite,"
I’m playin’ with these words like a pro in language
English-Spanish turned Spanglish so I moved to Janglish,
The world ain’t ready but I was given this gift first
And I lift worse if I can warm up my pen first,
The ink bursts thoughts,
These predicates are delicate
They manifest like delegates when a President speaks his mind
I rewind time back to the days when I was startin’ out,
Rappin’ ‘bout things I ain’t own,
What I was talkin’ bout?
But damn, now it’s five years later,
The Bullshitta how you figga man? I’m still Maja,
The anime fiend,
And call me the Sushi King;
Breakfast and lunch and dinner
I ain’t playin’ bout these things.
Some rappers just assume me weak assume mi speak is watered down but then I rap ‘em to the ground.

* "I play this game like swordplay like nobody can."
* "But if you want to try to match a rapper, 'Come here.'" This line is true Janglish. The first three words are Spanish and the last three are in Japanese.

Second Hook

ORE-TEKINA AACHISUTO NI TSUITE KIITA KOTO GA
NAI KEDO, KITTE KURE YO!
CUZ MY FLOW BE THE NEW GURAUNDO

オレ的なアーチストについて聞いた事がないけど、
聞いてくれよ！
CUZ MY FLOW BE THE NEW グラウンド

Translation: "You've never heard about a rapper like me, but please listen for me; cuz my flow is the new ground."

In the video, I kinda go nuts with the "this be the new GURAUNDO." lol... I like saying though. Couldn't help it. I also want to stress the fact that I am not just rattling random Japanese at you all. Like, I'm not going to be one of those artists who just say stuff in different languages that make no sense when translated into English.

Anywho... I'm here at Starbucks. I wait for the day when I'm in here and someone walks up to me asking, "Are you Maja? Are you blogging?" LOL...that'll be the day, huh? haha...

I'm dying over here because I don't have the Japanese language pack installed on my laptop anymore. It crashed, I weeped, and from my eyes fell a thousand tears. I can feel this blog turning into a rant, so I'll warn you now: I'm about to get pissed lol...

Okay, first of all, I'm a dweeb for not backing up my data like I should have. ALBUMS'-worth of data was at stake a few Sundays ago when I was headed to a fellow AZ-bound lyricist's house. I mean, I was expecting a blue screen or funny pixelated images to flash across the screen, but I didn't get that. Instead, I got:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

(Let me give you some background first though by saying that I don't throw up. Like, I can drink a hurricane's-worth of booze, pass out, and wake up with a clean shirt. I just don't throw up...)

I thought I was going to throw up all over myself. I nearly did. I was on the phone with my fellow rap artist and almost passed out and dropped the phone. All I could think of was the fact that all my data was not backed up somewhere on a harddrive away from harm. So yea, I learned a lot in two weeks. I'll cut to the chase and shorten the rant:

1.) Don't buy your PC or laptop from Best Buy, as it took them 2 weeks to fix my PC and $270.00 to get my data backed up to a hard drive.

2.) Don't trust the GeekSquad, as they are AWESOME at making promises they can't keep. One guy tells me one thing, but when I get there someone else says something different.

3.) Make sure your equipment works BEFORE leaving the GeekSquad's booth. I powered it up in front of the GeekSquad guy and tears of joy ran down my rosey cheeks....wait... I don't have rosey cheeks... and I don't cry in public places... so nevermind that.... I was happy and took my XP-laced laptop to mi casa and 'bout near threw up again when I got there and started messing with it. The GeekSquad forgot to install DRIVERS on my laptop... so I had working laptop with no sound, no wifi, and no regular internet. I was livid and had to give my laptop BACK TO THEM because it was going to take 24 hours for them to put DRIVERS on it. Talk about shitty service.

4.) LISTEN TO JUVENILE and BACK THAT THANG UP ... into a backup harddrive lol... I'm sorry, but I had to type that...

This post was long enough... have a good weekend.

Ja,

MAJA

It's late...

It's late, but I don't really care. I feel like blogging. It's a Thursday night, 1.5 hours before Friday. I'm wotking on a lot of music right now, so I know what I'll be doing this weekend: writing and rapping until my head hurts. Fun shit if you ask me.

I want to go to Japan... I know it's random, but I really want to go there again. I haven't even been to Tokyo yet. Kanye's been there though... I wonder if he'd approve of my remix of his song. Would he spaz on me? Sue me? Sign me? Haha... hmmm.... that would be nice.

I was thinking about who I'd like to work with someday. I'd have to say that I would die to work with the following artists:

Kanye West
Jill Scott
Utada Hikaru
Amuro Namie
Crystal Kay
Bjork
Timbaland
Lauryn Hill
Missy Elliott

Of course, these aren't listed in any particular order. When I think about collabing with artists I have to ask myself, "Woud they be open-minded enough to give it a chance?" I like that Bjork makes songs about whatever she wants to. I like that she can do whatever she wants to do on an album and release it. I don't know if she'd get the video games or anime parts of my music, but I want to take hip-hop to a new ground, and Bjork would be able to help with that. So would Utada. Utada is one of the greatest singers/writers/creators that I've ever heard.

I think I might be getting sick. ><; That's no good.

I'm totally rambling tonight. Sorry folks, for the gibberish.

Oyasumi ne?

ja.

MAJA

MAJA's Mind Opens...

Yo! So, this is the new blogspot for me, Maja!

I'm just going to jump into it cuz it's been a while....

Right now I'm sitting here in Starbuck's again. I can't help it. Even after re-inventing my condo and making into a more positive place, I can't help passing by this particular Starbuck's and having to come in to create something. However, this time, I'm not drinking my usual Frap... I'm drinking a huge ass cup of - get this - iced black coffee. That's right, folks, BLACK, SUGARLESS ICED COFFEE. I literally just paid like $20.00 for this cute barista to take my money and put it in her register, turn around to the coffee machine behind her, grab an empty cup, add ice to it and then pour coffee over it... Great, huh? I can't come in here for 3 hours to create without buying at least one thing. I mean, come on now, I'm using their power, their neighbor's Wi-fi, and their chair and table; it's the least that I could do right?

So, you're asking, "MAJA.... WTF? WTF are you doing drinking black iced coffee?" I'll answer you simply: it's the best thing in this place that I can drink without feeling like I'm doing my body wrong. Seriously. I want a Caramel Frap... badly. But, this coffee has the caffeine I need in it and at least some kind of flavor. I started weight training again on Monday, so I gotta make sure I watch what I'm taking in. If I don't, I'll be working out and pissed weeks or months later that I can't see any results.

Wow... caffeine... I can feel it surging through my veins... kinda... I'm a little tired right now. I busted my ass at work today and I want to go home and lay down. But I promised myself I wouldn't do that. I gots stuff to do. (Black coffee tastes like SH!T, by the way...) Sorry, the ADD is messing with me. lol... No, no, I don't have ADD, though my closest friends beg to differ. If you didn't get it, I was kinda playing with ideas of OCD at the end of my newest YouTube video, Janglish Speak (Stronger Remix). I don't know if anyone gets the joke, but CartoonMogul and I had a blast doing it. My Japanese needs work, too. I mean, I know a lot, but it's time to bump it up. Guess I should use my account at JapanesePod101.com, cuz they are the bomb with their lessons.

So I performed over at Otaku University on Sunday (10/30/07) and I must say this: ARIZONA HAS MAD LOVE FOR ME! I didn't know what to expect at ALL, but when I got there, folks started walking in and sitting down to listen to me and really connected with my music. And the funny thing is the fact that I haven't even started yet. Otaku hip hop is here and I'm going to do what I can to keep that sub-genre going. DJ 2Thirteen is one the same page. You need to check him out. Zealous1 is too. And so is Random. Ya'll need to know these names folks... These folks = MAJA's folks... If you like me, you'll love them, and vice versa.

So yea, I'm working on a ton of music right now. I need to start recording at home, but I think I'll keep heading over to LES735's studio to get stuff recorded. He's a good engineer and producer that you should hit up about beats! Haha... a lot of name-dropping in this blog, but I gotta pay respects cuz they = my peeps.

What else is there to say right now? Oh yea... subscribe! Cuz this is the beginning.

Ja,

MAJA